


Ripples Will Change (And So Will Everything Else)

by GlitterQueenThorn



Category: Kamen Rider Gaim
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-24
Updated: 2018-04-19
Packaged: 2018-07-26 09:25:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 17,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7568833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GlitterQueenThorn/pseuds/GlitterQueenThorn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One small change can alter anything. Micchy decided to tell Kouta about his brother and that one small change altered everything.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Truth Comes Out

"There are no secrets that time does not reveal." -Jean Racine

* * *

 _"It's really him,"_ Micchy, Beat Rider for Team Gaim, thought, _"It's really nii-san."_ After the white Armored Rider left to return to the base, Micchy left Helheim to meet up with Kouta.

* * *

After the Christmas party, Kouta found it a bit odd that Micchy didn't excuse himself and leave. Normally he was the first one to leave. As he pondered it, he felt someone tap his shoulder. He looked up to see the subject of his musings.

"Hey Micchy, did you need something?" the older boy asked with a smile. Micchy smiled back, but Kouta could see that it was strained.

"Can we talk in private Kouta-san?" the younger boy asked. Kouta nodded and they went outside to talk. Micchy sat at the bottom of the stairs while Kouta stood.

"What did you want to tell me?" the orange rider asked. Micchy took a deep breath.

"I know who the white Armored Rider is," he stated bluntly, "Kureshima Takatora, head of the R&D Department of Yggdrasil." Kouta's eyes widened.

"When did you find out?" he questioned.

"I didn't know for sure until Christmas Games," Micchy admitted, "Before that, I only suspected because he had a Sengoku Driver." Kouta thought over what Micchy said.

"Wait a minute, how did you know he had a Driver?" Kouta asked. Micchy froze for a second before sighing. He smiled bleakly.

"Well, I guess I couldn't hope to keep it secret forever," he said under his breath. He looked up at Kouta.

"Did you guys ever wonder why I never told you my full name?" he asked.

"We just assumed that you preferred your nickname," he replied.

"And I do," Micchy stated, "But my real name is Kureshima Mitsuzane. Kureshima Takatora is my older brother." Kouta just stared for a moment while he processed everything.

"If you're part of such a high class family, then why did you join the Beat Riders?" Kouta asked.

"Do you remember what I told when you told me to stop using the Sengoku Driver?" Micchy replied. Kouta remembered what Micchy had said.

_"I don't expect you to understand me. You've always been free to live your own life without answering to anyone. You wouldn't know how lucky that makes you."_

"Nii-san has my entire life planned out for me. You said I was going to get dragged into whatever was happening with the belts. Now I know that I would have a part of it no matter what. This way, I get to choose what side I want to be on and joined it on my terms," Micchy explained. Kouta grinned and clapped Micchy on the shoulder.

"Well, it's good to have you on our side," Kouta said with a grin. Micchy grinned back.

* * *

Later, the two decided they needed to inform the other Armored Riders of what they'd discovered. They waited in the back room of Drupers. Kaito was the first to show up, followed by Jonouchi and Oren.

"So, Mandarine, Boya, what is the purpose of this meeting?" Oren asked.

"We're going to tell you the real reason we organized the Christmas event," Kouta explained.

"The real reason?" Kaito asked, looking slightly interested.

"You know the monster that was running around a while back?" Kouta asked. The others nodded.

"It was an Inves that had come through a crack into our world," Micchy continued, "Kouta-san and I tracked it to where it came through and found a ton of the plants from the forest. We defeated the Inves before discovering that there were other Inves in the area. The white Armored Rider defeated the other Inves before his subordinates cleared away the evidence. Kouta-san and I wanted to get to the bottom of what was going on, so I thought up a way for Kouta-san to be able to speak with the researchers. Normally the white Armored Rider is protecting them, but by holding the Christmas event, he had to go and remove us from the forest. Kouta-san was able to sneak into their camp and find out some information." Kouta picked up where Micchy had left off.

"I pretended to be a new recruit and entered the base camp. I learned that the forest is called Helheim. The Inves Games were started by Yggdrasil so we wouldn't be suspicious when we were given the Drivers. We were just their guinea pigs." Kouta's fists were clenched. Micchy looked out the window. Oren looked contemplative. Jonouchi looked on disbelievingly. Kaito turned his gaze on Micchy.

"There's something you're not telling us," Kaito stated. Micchy sighed.

"The white Armored Rider-" Micchy was cut off by Oren's sudden exclamations.

"My beautiful melon! What do you know about him? What is his name? Where can I find him?" With each question, Oren leaned further over the table. Micchy leaned back to keep Oren from getting in his face. Kouta pushed Oren back slightly.

"Give the kid some space and actually let him say something," the Orange wielder said.

"The white Armored Rider is Kureshima Takatora," Micchy said, "the head of the R&D Department of Yggdrasil, as well as the head of the Zawame City branch."

"So it's not an underling doing some independent research," Kaito muttered. Micchy shook his head.

"How do you know that it was Kureshima Takatora in the suit?" Jonouchi asked, "Doesn't he have a younger brother? Kureshima Mitsuzane." Micchy played with his grape Lockseed and said nothing. Kaito noticed the younger teen's behavior.

"You’re the younger brother, aren't you?" Kaito said. Micchy just nodded. Kaito's eyes narrowed.

"How can we know you're not a spy?" he asked.

"Nii-san doesn't even know I'm a Beat Rider, much less an Armored Rider. He would rather I work under him at Yggdrasil," Micchy replied.

"The point is that we need to stop the Inves Games and figure out the Helheim Forest," Kouta cut in.

"Why should we work with you?" Jonouchi asked. Micchy leaned forward.

"You and Hase were guinea pigs as much as the rest of us. Yggdrasil couldn't care less about us. You want to keep doing what you're doing and play into their hands? Be my guest. Don't come crying to me when things don't go your way," Micchy said, his voice low. Kouta whistled.

"Remind me not to get on your bad side." Micchy smiled. Jonouchi considered what Micchy had said.

"I'll work with you," Kaito said. Kouta and Micchy looked at Kaito surprised. Jonouchi nodded his agreement.

"I also wish to get to the bottom of this!" Oren declared, "I shall join you as well." Kouta and Micchy nodded.

"The first step is to get strong enough to take on nii-san," Micchy stated, "That means training and getting more Lockseeds." Kaito smirked. Kouta rolled his eyes. Jonouchi grinned. Oren nodded. Micchy smiled.

None of them noticed DJ Sagara watching them.


	2. Training and Yggdrasil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that the riders know some of what's going on, it's time to train up. But what do they do when Yggdrasil interrupts their training?

"Build upon strengths, weaknesses will gradually take care of themselves." -Joyce C. Lock

* * *

The next day, the Armored Riders met up at Drupers. They had decided the previous day to start their physical training as soon as possible. Oren had volunteered to lead their physical training, explaining that he'd previously spent some time in the army.

"Come, little soldiers, it is time to begin your physical training!" Oren declared dramatically, "Prepare to face the toughest trials you can imagine!" Kaito looked on stoically. Kouta and Micchy exchanged uneasy glances. Jonouchi looked ready to bolt.

* * *

Their first day of training was finally over. Kouta stumbled over to a bench and collapsed on it. Micchy didn't even try to make it to the bench. He collapsed where he'd been standing, trying to get his breathing under control. Jonouchi was even worse off than Micchy. Even Kaito felt like keeling over.

"We shall continue this tomorrow!" Oren declared. Jonouchi groaned in complaint. Kouta attempted to stand without much success. Micchy just remained lying down. Kaito decided to conserve what strength he had left. Kouta finally managed to stand and offered a hand to help Micchy up. Micchy accepted the offered hand and stood with some help from Kouta. They headed to Drupers to get some food in them. They ate their fill and left.

"Hey, Micchy," Kouta started, continuing when he saw Micchy glance at him, "Are you going to go back to your house?" Micchy shrugged.

"I didn't last night. I have no intention of going back to that place," Micchy replied.

"Where did you sleep last night?" Kouta asked, concerned.

"I slept at the garage last night," the younger boy answered. Kouta grinned.

"Well, come on," he said, grabbing Micchy's wrist.

"Where are we going?" the grape rider asked.

"You're staying at my house for now," Kouta answered.

"I don't want to impose!" Micchy protested.

"You won't be imposing," Kouta replied. Micchy allowed the elder boy to drag him to his apartment building. They arrived at Kouta's apartment.

"Nee-chan, I'm back," Kouta called into the apartment. His older sister, Kazuraba Akira, looked in from the kitchen.

"Welcome home, Kouta. I see you've brought a friend," she greeted with a smile, "Welcome." Micchy bowed.

"Thank you for allowing me to stay for a while," he replied. Micchy and Kouta removed their shoes and put on the house slippers before venturing further into the house. Kouta showed Micchy to his room, offering to let Micchy sleep on the bed. Micchy protested that Kouta had already done enough and that he could sleep elsewhere.  
The evening passed uneventfully. Akira got to know Micchy. Micchy experienced a normal family dinner. Kouta grinned. The two Beat Riders went to bed early. They knew what was awaiting them the next day.

* * *

Once again, they met up at Drupers to start their training. Oren led them to the park and they began their grueling training all over again. At the end of the day, the teens were exhausted, although not quite as much as the previous day. Micchy absentmindedly scratched at an itch. Something had bitten him during training. Kouta and Micchy collapsed next to each other. Jonouchi was sprawled near the playground equipment. Kaito was the only one who was sitting up. Oren surveyed the group. They were coming along quite nicely. The former military man looked up when he heard a lot of footsteps to see a ton of Kurokage Troopers. Kouta stumbled to his feet. Micchy tried to stand, just to fall back down. Jonouchi hid behind the tree. Kaito stood without too much difficulty. Oren held out an arm.

"Let me handle this. You must rest," Oren stated. Kouta gratefully accepted and collapsed near Micchy, who seemed ready to pass out. Kaito huffed, but sat down out of the way. Oren immediately transformed and leapt into the fray. He seemed to take down the Troopers with little effort, but for every Trooper he defeated, two more took his place. He was herded away from the teens by the Troopers. More Troopers took position around the teens. Micchy looked up blearily, trying to focus on the situation at hand. He looked around at the surrounding Kurokage Troopers.

"This is not good," the younger boy concluded. He attempted to stand, only to fall back against Kouta.

"Easy Micchy, Kaito and I can handle this," Kouta assured him. Kouta helped Micchy to a hiding place in the playground equipment before transforming and joining the fight. Micchy had to struggle to keep his eyes open.

"I shouldn't be this tired," Micchy thought "It's only gotten worse since we finished training." He thought back to the bite. "They wouldn't have drugged me, would they? Why me?" More Kurokage Troopers appeared and grabbed Micchy's arms. The teen attempted to jerk his arms out of their grasp, but given that he could barely keep his eyes open, his attempt was doomed to failure.

"Micchy!" Gaim shouted when he saw his friend being manhandled by some Kurokage Troopers. He ran to intervene, but was stopped by the appearance of the white Armored Rider.

"Kureshima Takatora," Gaim growled, "Where are you taking Micchy?!" Takatora, also known as Zangetsu, stared at the orange armored Rider.

"I'm taking Mitsuzane back where he belongs," he stated, "He doesn't belong with filth like you." Gaim remembered when Micchy had plucked up the courage to ask to join the group, watching Micchy dance, listening to Micchy talk about his older brother.

"Micchy deserves a better older brother than you," Gaim said before charging at Takatora.  
Baron was fighting some Kurokage Troopers and finished them off before glancing over to see Gaim getting his butt kicked by Zangetsu. The banana rider rushed over to the fight and attempted to land a blow on Zangetsu. The white rider blocked with his shield as he struck Gaim with his sword. Baron summoned two Inves to fight the white rider, but they were quickly disposed of. Baron pulled out a second Lockseed and clicked it open. He removed his Banana Lockseed, replacing it with the Mango Lockseed.

[LOCK ON]

He flicked the Cutting Knife.

[COME ON! MANGO ARMS! FIGHT OF HAMMER!]

He charged at the white rider. Gaim stepped back and grabbed a Pine Lock. He grabbed the Orange Lockseed and replaced it with the Pine Lockseed.

[LOCK ON]

He flipped the Cutting Knife.

[SOIYA! PINE ARMS! PULVERIZE DESTROY!]

With a yell, Gaim charged back into the fray. Even with the two rivals using their two physically strongest forms, between Zangetsu's skill and their exhaustion from their training, they were no match for the more experienced rider. Before too long, they were untransformed and sprawled on the ground.

"Take them to Yggdrasil," Zangetsu ordered the Troopers.

* * *

Oren returned shortly after Zangetsu's battle with Gaim and Baron was concluded.

"Where are the others?" Oren asked Jonouchi, who'd finally come out of his hiding place.

"They were taken away by the Kurokage Troopers," Jonouchi explained.

"Then we will have to rescue them!" Oren declared.

"How are we going to do that?" Jonouchi demanded.

Oren didn't have an answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed it!


	3. Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kouta, Micchy, and Kaito have been captured by Yggdrasil. After meeting the maker of the Sengoku Drivers, they must escape from Yggdrasil.

"The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance-it is the illusion of knowledge." -Daniel J. Boorstin

* * *

Micchy woke up slowly. His eyes fluttered open to see a pure white room with a chair and a small table. He slowly pushed himself up with little difficulty. He discovered that his Sengoku Driver and Lockseeds were missing. The last thing he remembered was training in the park and the Kurokage Troopers attacking.

"They drugged me," he murmured, "But why?"

"To keep you out of the fight," another voice replied. Micchy whirled around to see his brother standing outside his cell.

"Nii-san! What's going on? Where am I?" Micchy demanded.

"You're going to be staying here for the time being," Takatora replied, "Your friends Kazuraba and Kumon are here as well. Now you answer me. Where did you get a Sengoku Driver?"

"I got Sid to give me one," Micchy replied. Takatora cursed under his breath. The elder Kureshima turned and walked away. Micchy banged on the door, calling for someone to let him out.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kouta and Kaito had been taken to an open room with a desk and table. A man in a white jacket and a woman in a business suit were waiting for the two riders.

"Hey! Where's Micchy?" Kouta demanded. The man chuckled.

"Takatora didn't want to expose Mitsuzane to me," he replied jokingly, "Apparently I'm a bad influence." Kouta glared while Kaito looked on stoically.

"Anyways, I wanted to check on the condition of my Sengoku Drivers," the man continued, "You've been putting them through quite a bit."

"You made the Sengoku Drivers?" Kaito asked.

"Indeed," the man replied, "Sengoku Ryoma at your service, with my assistant, Minato Yoko." Ryoma smirked at the riders.

"We're not your guinea pigs," Kouta hissed angrily.

"Oh, but you are," Ryoma replied, "We've gathered the data from your battles and used it to create better drivers." Kouta's fist clenched.

"In fact, I want you to keep fighting using my belts," Ryoma stated, "I've gotten wonderful data from your fights." Kaito slowly slid a deck of cards out of his pocket. Kouta noticed and gave Kaito a slight nod. As Ryoma continued talking, Kaito grabbed one of his cards and flung it at the scientist. Yoko immediately threw a pen, which intercepted the card, before kicking a charging Kaito. Kouta stood to help, but Yoko kicked the back of Kouta's knee, causing him to collapse.

"Don't break them Minato-kun," Ryoma said.

"Yes, Professor Ryoma," Yoko replied. Kurokage Troopers came in and grabbed Kouta and Kaito. Ryoma dismissed them and the Troopers led them away.

* * *

Micchy sat on the ground, curled in a ball with his forehead resting on his knees. He heard footsteps coming down the hallway. He got up and looked out the barred window to see Kouta and Kaito shoved into their own cells.

"Kouta-san! Kaito-san!" Micchy called from his cell across the hall.

"Micchy! Are you okay?" Kouta asked.

"As well as I can be," Micchy replied, smiling slightly. Kouta nodded.

"So how are we going to get out of here?" Kaito questioned. Micchy thought about it.

"Unless we get one of the key cards, there isn't much we can do to escape," Micchy said. Kouta and Kaito pondered the situation as well.

"Well, what do we have here?" a voice said jovially. The teens looked up to see DJ Sagara.

"DJ Sagara?" Micchy asked, "You're part of Yggdrasil?"

"Why, yes I am," Sagara replied, "Now I have a question for you. Why do you want the power of the Sengoku Drivers?" Kouta was the first to speak up.

"I have to protect my friends. With the Inves running around, I have to be able to protect them." Micchy looked up from where he was staring at the floor.

"I've finally found a place where I can be myself. I'm going to protect it no matter what," the younger teen answered. Sagara turned to Kaito.

"I just want to prove my strength," the stoic teen replied. Sagara laughed.

"How interesting!" he said, laughing. He unlocked Kouta's cell before handing him a key card. He handed the teen an odd attachment and a light blue Lockseed with a lemon on it. The DJ gave similar devices to Kaito and Micchy, with cherry and peach decorated Lockseeds respectively.

"I like you guys," he said as an explanation. The teens shared a glance and when they looked back, Sagara was gone. Kouta exited the cell and quickly unlocked Kaito and Micchy's cells.

"We need to get out of here as soon as possible," Kouta said.

"We should try to find out more while we're here," Micchy argued, "If I can access a computer, I can have all their files in ten minutes." Kouta and Kaito looked at him in surprise. Micchy waved to the facility they were in.

"My family owns Yggdrasil. My older brother is the head of this branch. When I was younger, I had way too free time on my hands," Micchy explained. The other two teens shrugged and they headed back towards Ryoma's lab. They arrived and no one was there. Micchy headed straight for the computer, producing a flash drive. He stuck the flash drive in the computer and began typing away. Kouta watched over his shoulder while Kaito kept an eye out for other people.

"Alright, I'm in," Micchy said a few minutes later. He downloaded the files onto the flash drive. Being the high-tech company that it was, the Yggdrasil computer only took a few minutes to download everything. Micchy grabbed the flash drive and slipped in his pocket as they headed for the exit. They headed down the stairs toward the crack to escape into Helheim. Surprisingly, they made it into the forest with no trouble. They returned to Zawame City on their Lockvehicles and returned home.

"That was surprisingly easy," Micchy said. Kaito nodded.

"Well, we're away from Yggdrasil," Kouta replied, "We'd better get some rest." Micchy and Kaito agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	4. The Secrets Of Helheim And The Measures Against It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having discovered Yggdrasil's secrets, the Beat Rider team decides that something must be done about Yggdrasil's plans.

"Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth." -Buddha

* * *

Micchy stayed up late that night, looking at the files he'd gotten from Yggdrasil, paling more and more.

"Why are they even considering any of these acceptable ideas?" Micchy whispered, horrified. He kept watching. He came upon their research on the Helheim. One of the videos caused him to drop his tablet and back away.

"No!" he told himself, "That's impossible!" He stared at the tablet as the video played it out. After the video had stopped, it took a few more minutes before Micchy grabbed the tablet and continued. Eventually, the teen fell asleep.

* * *

Kouta woke the next morning and checked on the younger teen to find him still asleep.

"He must have been up late going over the information he got from Yggdrasil," Kouta said to himself. He shook the younger boy awake. Micchy started awake and smiled when he saw that it was just Kouta. Then he remembered the video he'd seen the previous night. His smile faded. Kouta noticed.

"What's wrong?" he asked. Micchy looked torn.

"I found out what happened to Yuuya-san," the younger admitted, trailing off at the end.

"Really? What happened?" Kouta asked eagerly. Micchy grabbed his tablet and selected the correct video.

 _"Should I be showing this to Kouta-san?"_ he wondered. Then Micchy remembered something Kouta had told him when he'd joined Team Gaim.

 _"It hurts to let go, but sometimes it hurts more to hold on."_ Micchy took a deep breath and played the video. The two teens watched as Yuuya appeared on the screen and devoured one of the fruits. They watched as he transformed into the first Inves Kouta had ever defeated. They watched Kouta defeat the Inves. Kouta just stared at the screen, even after the video stopped.

"It's my fault," he whispered, "I killed Yuuya."

"It's not your fault Kouta-san," Micchy replied, "You didn't know and he would've killed you if you hadn't fought back." Kouta just started crying. Micchy tried to keep his own emotions in check, without much success.

* * *

Later that day, after the boys composed themselves, they arrived at Charmant to find Kaito, Oren, and Jonouchi already there.

"Ah, we had heard about your escape from Monsieur Banane," Oren said, "He also said you got some information on Yggdrasil." Micchy nodded. He pulled out his tablet.

"It turns out that Helheim is a sentient invasive forest. It's been coming through cracks into Zawame City for years, even before Yggdrasil came. Anyone who eats a Helheim fruit turns into an Inves. Helheim will overrun our world in ten years. They have a plan called Project Ark to save everyone they can, but they can only save up to one billion people. If the people of Zawame City find out about the invasion, then they'll use the Scalar System to burn the city to the ground." Micchy pulled up the relevant documents on his tablet. The others read over the information.

"They can't do that, can they?" Jonouchi asked, "With the Scalar System, I mean." Micchy shrugged.

"They already have the means to do it," Micchy explained, "The ring that floats around Yggdrasil Tower is the Scalar System." Kouta banged his clenched fist on the table.

"We need to make sure they can't activate the Scalar System," he declared. The others just nodded in agreement.

"Oh, by the way, there is another function to the belts," Micchy recalled, "If you put in a Lockseed without activating it, you gain nutrients without becoming an Inves. That's the original purpose of the belts."

"That's how they plan for humans to survive when Helheim invades," Kaito stated, "Give a billion people these belts and rebuild the human race from there."

"Except that it's just going to be the "chosen ones" who get the belts," Jonouchi scoffed. Micchy nodded sadly.

* * *

"What?" Takatora asked angrily, "They escaped!"

"That's not all, sir," one of the technicians added, "It seems that someone accessed the mainframe and downloaded all the information on Helheim."

"Mitsuzane," Takatora seethed.

* * *

After a long discussion, the rider decided that they needed to destroy the Scalar System before taking any further action. As they planned the attack, Kouta pulled Micchy aside.

"Micchy, I want you to stay away from Yggdrasil for a while. Your brother is bound to know that you were the one who hacked the files and he has been trying to take you back anyways," Kouta said. Micchy considered before nodding.

"Alright, Kouta-san," Micchy agreed, "I'll stay at Gaim's garage while you guys take out the Scalar System." Kouta nodded and they rejoined the group. Kouta explained why he thought Micchy shouldn't be apart of the attack, with Kaito and Oren agreeing with him and Jonouchi jokingly asking if he could baby-sit the teen to make sure he stayed out. Kouta said Team Gaim could look after Micchy while they attack the Scalar System. Kouta quickly pulled out his cell phone.

"Hey, Mai," he started before wincing when Mai started yelling into the phone.

 _"Where have you and Micchy been? We haven't seen you in two days! It's not odd for you to miss a couple days, but Micchy's never missed practice!"_ Mai shouted.

"We've been kind of busy," Kouta explained, "I'll explain it all later. Can you keep an eye on Micchy for a while? There's something some friends and I have to do something and I know Micchy will sneak out to help if he can."

 _"Fine,"_ Mai replied, _"I'll come pick him up. Where are you?"_

"We're at Charmant," Kouta replied, wincing again when he heard Mai squeal. He hung up and a few minutes later, Mai was at Charmant. She bought a cake before dragging Micchy back to the garage. The others nodded to each other. It was time to put the plan into action.

* * *

The three teens tried the light blue Lockseeds, but were unable to figure out how to use them.

"We probably have to use these," Micchy said, holding up the odd attachment that Sagara had given them, "but I'm not sure how they attach to our belts." Having no further leads, they returned to their preparations.

* * *

Their first stop was Helheim Forest. Jonouchi picked a Lockseed, which changed into an A-class Lockseed with a new design.

"A pomegranate?" Jonouchi wondered. He put it in his belt and flicked the Cutting Knife.

[COME ON! POMEGRANATE ARMS! SHOCKING SHOOTER!]

A pomegranate appeared over Jonouchi and formed his armor, which was similar to his Donguri armor, except with pomegranate designs instead. His weapon was…

"A rocket launcher?" Jonouchi wondered, "Why does pomegranate armor have a rocket launcher?"

* * *

Standing some distance away from Yggdrasil, the riders went over the revised plan.

"So I fly up in Suika Armor Gyro Mode and Jonouchi fires at the stations from here," Kouta stated. Oren and Kaito nodded.

"Alright!" Kouta said cheerfully, "Here we go!" He grabbed the Suika Lockseed he had from the Christmas event and clicked it open. Jonouchi did the same with the pomegranate Lockseed.

[LOCK ON]

"Henshin!" they declared, flicking the Cutting Knife down.

[COME ON! SUIKA ARMS! BIG BALL BIG BANG!]

[COME ON! POMEGRANATE ARMS! SHOCKING SHOOTER!]

The giant watermelon descended and Kouta swiftly changed into Gyro Mode. Gridon turned into his new Pomegranate Arms. Gaim took to the air and made for the far side of Yggdrasil. Gridon took aim at the near side. Gaim dodged laser beams shooting from the Scalar System. He swerved around and managed to shoot one of the orbs.

* * *

Gridon knelt on the roof of a nearby, reasonably tall building and took aim. Making sure to account for the movement of the ring, he fired and destroyed another orb.

* * *

Gaim dodged more lasers and shot at another orb that was intact. It bullets connected and it shattered.

* * *

Gridon took aim and fired at the only remaining orb. It shattered and Gridon breathed a sigh of relief. He untransformed and Gaim landed before doing the same.

"We better get out of here," Kaito said, "It won't take long for them to start searching for us." They left and went to the garage.

* * *

Micchy looked up when he heard the door to the garage open and saw the other armored riders enter.

"Kouta-san!" he called, "How did it go?" Kouta grinned.

"It went perfectly," the elder teen replied. Micchy gave a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness," he muttered.

"Alright, now you can explain what's been going on," Mai stated. Kouta blanched. Then he sighed and started explaining. He told Mai about Micchy's older brother being the white armored rider. He talked about Helheim and the plans to counter it. He explained what happened to Yuuya. He explained what the armored riders had been up to the past couple days. Mai could only stare, stunned, at the riders.

"Why?" she asked, "Why won't they save everyone?"

"They don't think they can," Micchy replied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Pomegranate Lockseed was one I made up when I was having problems figuring out how they were going to destroy the Scalar System. It probably won't be making a repeat appearance, since it can't be used in close combat. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Constructive criticism is welcome!


	5. Hase's Choice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone has to make choices. Whether their good or bad depends on the situation...and on your knowledge of it.

"The hard thing is not making a decision. It's thinking about the result of what you have decided." -Unknown

* * *

It had been almost a week since the riders destroyed the Scalar System. Micchy bounced between Kouta's house and the garage. The riders often met at Charmant to discuss the situation. Kouta, meanwhile, had decided to go back to the place where he'd found the belt and first entered Helheim.

"A lot has happened since you vanished Yuuya," Kouta said, talking to the wall that held the crack that had started everything. "Micchy's become a Kamen Rider. Did you know that his older brother had his life planned out for him?" Kouta had to shake his head. "I'm working with Micchy, Kaito, Jonouchi, and Oren-san to stop Helheim. I don't want what happened to you to happen to anyone else. I'm sorry, Yuuya." Kouta wiped away the tears that had started to fall. He heard his phone ring and grabbed it.

"Hello?" he answered.

_"Kouta-san?"_

"Hey, Micchy, what's up?"

_"I've been trying to figure out a way to detect cracks so that we can find them and stop any Inves that come through. I've managed to find an odd energy signal near where you are. Can you check it out? You're the closest."_

"No problem," Kouta replied cheerfully.

 _"I'll send you the location."_ Kouta hung up and received a text from Micchy.

"Micchy knew I would want to talk to Yuuya," Kouta told himself, "He probably wanted to give me something else to focus on." He ran to the warehouse that Micchy had gotten the energy signal from. He arrived and found some Helheim plants. He started looking around for any Inves.

"I thought I would find you here, Kazuraba Kouta," a voice said from behind him. Kouta turned to see Takatora standing behind him.

"How did you know about the crack that was here?" Kouta asked. Takatora smirked.

"Did you think that we would not be able to tell where a crack opened up?" he answered.

"Why don't you stop any of the Inves that come through?" Kouta demanded.

"That is not our concern," Takatora replied. Kouta grabbed his belt and snatched his Orange Lockseed before placing it on the belt. Takatora did the same.

[ORANGE]/[MELON]

[LOCK ON]

Both riders flipped the Cutting Knife.

[COME ON! ORANGE ARMS! IN THE SPOTLIGHT! ON STAGE!]/[COME ON! MELON ARMS! ACKNOWLEDGED BY PROVIDENCE!]

The melon and orange descended from Helheim and formed into each rider's armor. Gaim held the Orange Slicer and was halfway crouched while Zangetsu held the Melon Defender and stood straight. After waiting for a short time, Gaim charged at the white armored rider. Zangetsu merely blocked Gaim's strikes with his shield. Gaim drew his second sword and struck with blades, just for Zangetsu to block with the Melon Defender as he drew his own sword. Zangetsu struck Gaim, causing sparks to fly from his armor.  
Their dance continued for another few minutes when they were interrupted by Hase Ryouji wandering into the warehouse.

"I need my power!" he cried, seeming half mad, "Give me my power back!" He stumbled toward the Helheim plants.

"Wait!" Gaim shouted, "Don't touch those!" Hase didn't listen and started eating one of the Helheim fruits.

"Hey! Spit that out!" Zangetsu commanded. Hase didn't listen and continued eating the fruit. He dropped the wrapping and suddenly cried out in pain. He was covered in Helheim plants before he turned into a Bixie Inves and ran out of the warehouse.

"No," Gaim muttered, "Not again." Gaim made to go after Hase, only for Zangetsu to stop him.

"Need a hand, Kazuraba?" a voice asked from behind the orange-themed rider. Gaim turned to see Kaito standing there, Lockseed in hand.

"Kureshima Jr. sent me the location," Kaito said by way of explanation. He jerked his head in the direction Hase ran off in.

"Get going," he said, "I'll handle Kureshima Sr." Kaito put on his belt and clicked his Lockseed before spinning it around his finger and placing it in his belt.

[BANANA]

[LOCK ON]

"Henshin," Kaito said, flipping the Cutting Knife.

[COME ON! BANANA ARMS! KNIGHT OF SPEAR!]

The banana descended and formed Kaito's primary armor.

"Thanks Kaito!" Gaim called as he ran after Hase. Zangetsu went to intercept the orange rider when Baron got in the way.

"Your fight's with me now," Baron stated.

* * *

"Hase!" Kouta shouted, "Where are you? Hase!" Kouta had untransformed and was crouched near a crate, staring at his hands. One hand was green and the other was green with branch like extensions with leaf like fixtures.

"Hase, calm down," Kouta said, kneeling next to the panicking teen, "If you calm down, I can take you to the hospital. Just calm down." Instead of calming down, Hase let out a scream before lashing out at Kouta. Kouta stumbled backwards as Hase once again took the form of the Inves.

* * *

Meanwhile, Baron and Zangetsu had continued the fight. Baron's lance was unfortunately useless against Zangetsu's shield. He flipped the Cutting Knife three times.

[BANANA SPARKING!]

Baron stabbed his lance into the ground and several banana-shaped energy manifestations stabbed up at the other rider. Most were blocked by the shield and the few that did connect did little damage. Zangetsu threw his shield, hitting Baron before the shield returned. He struck a few times with his sword, forcing Baron back until the last hit sent the Beat Rider flying. Baron hit a piece of machinery and was forced out of his transformation. He pushed himself up, ready to transform again. However, Zangetsu was already walking away in the direction Kouta had gone. Kaito banged his fist against the machinery. He heard his phone ring. He checked the caller id.

"Hey, Kureshima Jr., perfect timing. Your brother was here and about to fight Kouta when I arrived. Kouta had to run off after someone, not sure who," Kaito reported.

_"Thanks Kaito-san. Did anything else happen?"_

"No," Kaito replied through gritted teeth. Micchy took his cue and hung up.

* * *

Having no choice, Kouta transformed once Hase changed back into the Inves.

"Come on Hase, stop it!" Kouta yelled, "You need to calm down!" Hase let out a scream before running away. Kouta let his transformation vanish. He banged his fist on a crate.

* * *

"So they're ready?" Takatora asked, looking at the new Driver handed to him by Ryoma.

"Yep, there's one for you, Sid, Minato-kun, and of course myself," Ryoma replied before handing the Kureshima an altered version of his Melon Lockseed.

"Here is your complimentary Energy Lockseed," Ryoma added.

* * *

Kouta went to Drupers for a snack before resuming the search for Hase, only for Hase to show up at the restaurant. Rat and Rica, who had also come for a snack, screamed and Rat was attacked by the now-transformed Hase.

"Hase! Stop it!" Kouta yelled. He managed to get Hase outside without damaging Druper's before whipping out his Orange Lockseed and attaching it to his belt.

[ORANGE]

[LOCK ON]

"Henshin," Kouta declared, flipping the Cutting Knife.

[COME ON! ORANGE ARMS! IN THE SPOTLIGHT! ON STAGE!]

The orange descended and formed Kouta's armor.

"If you insist on hurting people, I'll have to fight you Hase!" Kouta declared, holding the Orange Slicer at the ready. Hase charged at the orange rider, trying to strike with his claws, but Kouta parried the blow.

The fight continued for several minutes, eventually moving to one of the many fountains in Zawame City. Kouta found himself on the defensive, not because Hase was particularly skilled, but because Kouta couldn't bring himself to truly harm the former rider.

Then the decision was taken out of his hands.

An arrow formed out of red energy was shot at the two combatants, forcing them apart. Kouta looked up to see four riders. One appeared to be a slightly altered version of Zangetsu. Another was a female wearing a pink suit that had shoulder and chest armor and a short skirt. A third had red chest armor with a silver-white body suit and a spiked helmet. The fourth had a blue bodysuit with yellow armor including a shoulder guard on the right shoulder and a yellow cape. Each was carrying a bow with a bladed edge.

"Who are you?" Gaim shouted. Instead of answering, the red armored rider jumped down to fight Hase. Gaim tried to intervene.

"Stop it! That's still Hase!" he yelled. But it was useless. The red armored rider soon destroyed the Beat Rider-turned-Inves before turning to face the now-untransformed Kouta. Letting the transformation fade, the red armored rider revealed himself as Lock Dealer Sid.

"Sid?" Kouta gasped, "You're a part of Yggdrasil too?" Sid merely smirked and walked off. The other riders had already left, trusting Sid to take care of the rogue Inves. Kouta sighed and turned to head back to the garage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed it!


	6. Meeting Between Brothers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takatora and Micchy meet, and Kaito tags along.

"Just be who you want to be, not who others want to see." -Unknown

* * *

It had been a couple weeks since Hase had turned into an Inves and been destroyed. Kouta had gotten over it and resolved to not let that happen to anyone else. The Armored Riders had gathered to plan their next move.

Micchy felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He frowned slightly, unsure of who was texting him during the Armored Rider meeting. He discretely checked his phone. His eyes widened at the message.

**Meet me at the park at seven this evening. We need to talk.**

Micchy quickly put his phone away. He didn't want the others getting suspicious after all. This was something he needed to handle by himself.

He didn't notice Kaito's suspicious glance.

* * *

After the meeting, Micchy checked the time before excusing himself and heading out on an errand. Kouta pulled Kaito aside.

"Kaito, can you keep an eye on Micchy? Something's off and I have things I need to do for Nee-chan," Kouta whispered. Kaito just nodded and left. The banana wielding rider followed the younger Kureshima from a distance, discretely moving out of the younger boy's line of sight when he looked back. Eventually, they entered a park. Micchy headed for the playground area, which had no visitors at that time of night. Waiting there was Kureshima Takatora. Kaito ducked behind a tree and watched as Micchy walked towards his brother.

 _"Are they working together after all?"_ Kaito wondered. Micchy came to a stop a few feet away from Takatora, who had his back turned to the younger boy.

"Nii-san," Micchy said. Takatora turned around.

"Ah, Mitsuzane," he said, "I know you hacked our computer system, so you know the truth about Helheim Forest. Why won't you work with us?" Micchy stared at his brother.

"I agree that Helheim Forest is a problem. What I disagree with is your methods to remedy the problem," Micchy replied. Takatora looked slightly confused.

"It wouldn't be right to only save one-seventh of the earth's population," Micchy clarified.

"It's not possible for us to save everyone, Mitsuzane," Takatora stated, his tone harsh, "I didn't think you were that naïve." Micchy looked at the ground.

"I'm not naïve. I just haven't given up yet. Helheim is invading, so why don't we use the drivers to fight back and force it to not invade Earth?" Mitsuzane replied, despite his gaze still being on the ground. Takatora turned back around to face away from Micchy.

"That won't work," Takatora said, "We would only buy another ten years or so." Micchy looked up.

"Then you have ten years to find a better solution than killing off most of the world's population!" Micchy exclaimed, looking up at his brother. Takatora turned back and just stared at his younger brother as if he couldn't believe the other boy's naïveté.

"Those filthy Beat Riders have corrupted you," the elder Kureshima spat. He pulled out his belt, forcing Micchy to do the same. Both attached their belts, although Takatora's was a new model.

"Henshin," the two brothers stated in unison. They both pulled out their Lockseeds and clicked them open.

[BUDOU]/[MELON ENERGY]

They clipped the Lockseeds into place. Micchy flipped the cutting knife.

[COME ON! BUDOU ARMS! DRAGON, FIRE, BANG BANG BANG!]

Takatora pushed in a handle on his driver, opening the Lockseed.

[SODA! MELON ENERGY ARMS!]

The fruits descended to form each individual's armor. Ryugen gripped his gun, knees bent as if ready to dodge at a moment's notice. Zangetsu-Shin stood there for a moment before he began walking towards Ryugen. The younger boy immediately started firing. Zangetsu-Shin deflected most bullets with his blade-edged bow and the few that did connect did very little damage. Ryugen moved to the side to get more space and a better angle, but Zangetsu-Shin took that moment to charge at his younger brother. The younger boy had no chance to move before the elder slashed at him with the bow. Ryugen staggered backwards, barely dodging another slash. Zangetsu-Shin slashed at the younger boy's armor several more times, leaving him lying on the ground. Ryugen pushed himself back up to his feet.

"Why do you keep resisting?" Zangetsu-Shin demanded, landing a particularly savage blow that forced Micchy out of his transformation. The younger boy rolled another couple feet before coming to a stop. Slowly pushing himself up, Micchy looked at his older brother.

"Because you've changed nii-san," Micchy replied, breathing heavily, "And so have I." Takatora grunted in confusion. He de-transformed and moved to grab the younger boy's arm. Kaito left his hiding place and stepped in between the two brothers.

"Kaito-san!" Micchy said in surprise. Kaito glanced back.

"Did you think Kazuraba would ever leave me alone if I didn't keep an eye on you?" the older boy replied.

"This is none of your business," Takatora stated.

"Kazuraba would say he's making it his business," Kaito answered with a smirk, "I, on the other hand, just don't like Yggdrasil." The two riders pulled out their Lockseeds as Takatora's cell phone rang. He grabbed the phone and answered. After a quick chat, he turned to leave.

"We'll have to finish this another night," Takatora said, looking straight at Micchy. And for once, Micchy stared right back. Kaito grabbed Micchy's shoulder and steered the younger boy to a bench and forced him to sit down. The younger boy looked confused at Kaito's actions.

"So what was that all about?" the older boy questioned. Micchy sighed.

"Nii-san sent me a text during today's meeting to meet with him. I decided to go because I want to try to convince him that he's going about this the wrong way," Micchy replied. Kaito sat down next to Micchy.

"Why did you join the Beat Riders anyways? As a Kureshima, you can have anything you want," Kaito pointed out. Micchy leaned back, looking up at the sky.

"Kaito-san, do know the feeling of being in a cage? Of having no say over your life?" Micchy started. He continued without giving the elder boy a chance to answer.

"My entire life has been planned out for me. Everything. I had no choices in anything that mattered. And when I saw the Beat Riders for the first time, I saw a freedom that I'd thought I could never have. I joined Team Gaim and never regretted it for a moment." Kaito snorted.

"Sounds like something Kazuraba would say," the older boy stated. Micchy chuckled before standing.

"If we don't head back soon, Kouta-san will probably head up a search party for us." Kaito had to admit, that was something the idiot would do. The two teens headed for Gaim's garage.

* * *

Micchy sat still as Mai wrapped the scrapes and bruises from his battle with his brother.

"Why did you fight him Micchy?" Kouta asked. Micchy looked up from watching Mai wrap his arm.

"I wanted to convince him that he's going about this all wrong," Micchy replied. Kouta ran his hands through his hair.

"You could've been seriously hurt. He could've taken you back to Yggdrasil," Kouta said quietly. Micchy sighed.

"But I'm not and I'm not going to let him," the younger boy replied. Kaito looked between Team Gaim's two riders.

"Wow Kazuraba, when did you become a mother hen?" the banana wielder asked mockingly. Kouta glared at Kaito. Micchy grinned, no longer tensed as he had been when Kouta had been mother-henning him. After a few minutes of banter, Kaito left. Kouta turned toward Micchy and wrapped the younger boy in a hug. Micchy stiffened for a moment before relaxing and wrapping his arms around Kouta's stomach.

"Thank you, Kouta-san," the younger boy said quietly. Kouta grinned and proceeded to drag Micchy to his apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it! Please comment! Constructive criticism is welcome!


	7. Baron's Betrayal

"I don't trust words. I trust actions." -Unknown

* * *

Kaito stepped into the lab. He looked at the man seated at the only piece of furniture in the room.

"Sengoku Ryoma," he said. The professor turned to face the Beat Rider.

"Kumon Kaito, how nice of you to accept my invitation," the man replied.

"You said you had a proposal for me," Kaito continued, getting straight to the point. 

"Why, yes, I do," Ryoma smirked as Sid and Yoko stepped out from behind the pillars, "But first, a question. What do you think about saving people from Helheim Forest?" Kaito snorted.

"If they aren't strong enough to save themselves, they have no right to exist," Kaito answered bluntly. Ryoma laughed and his associates smiled.

"Then I would like to propose an alliance. We believe the same way you do," Ryoma said, grinning.

"What can you offer me?" Kaito asked. Sid burst out laughing.

"I like this one!" he said, pointing to the Beat Rider. Yoko merely grinned in amusement. Ryoma smirked.

"I can give you a Genesis Driver, like what we have," Ryoma replied, holding up the Driver in question, "It is much more powerful then the Sengoku Drivers."

"Fine," Kaito said, grabbed the proffered Driver.

* * *

"Hey, Micchy, do you know where Kaito is?" Kouta asked. Micchy shook his head and replied.

"No, but I thought I heard him say he was going to go train." Kouta snorted.

"That's just like him," Kouta told himself. He clapped Micchy on the shoulder and wandered off. Micchy's hands gripped his tablet tighter. He remembered when Kaito had pulled him aside earlier.

_"Sengoku Ryoma invited me to talk and I'm going to go see what he wants. Make sure the others don't find out or follow me."_

"I hope Kaito-san's alright," Micchy muttered before returning to his tablet. 

* * *

Some time later, Kaito returned and they continued planning. They had been brainstorming ways to stop the Helheim Forest from invading Earth, without much success. Kaito stood suddenly.

"I'm done trying to play hero," he said, "If people can't save themselves, then it's no concern of mine." He turned to walk away before Kouta grabbed his shoulder.

"Don't you care about the people that will get caught in the crossfire?" the orange rider asked incredulously. Kaito shrugged off Kouta's hand before turning to stare at the orange rider.

"I just said that's no concern of mine," Kaito replied. Kouta moved to stand between Kaito and the door. Kaito approached as if to hit the other teen, when Micchy stepped in between them.

"This is no time to be fighting," he told them. Kouta nodded and Kaito snorted. Kouta moved to stand next to Micchy. Kaito headed for the door, shouldering his way past Micchy, almost knocking the boy over in the process. Kouta caught the younger boy before he could fall over, but Kaito was already gone.

"What a jerk," Kouta muttered.

"Yeah," Micchy replied, feeling a piece of paper in his pocket. 

* * *

"You wanted to talk to me, Kaito-san?" Micchy said, arriving at the playground where he'd fought his brother before Kaito intervened. The banana-wielding rider turned to look at the younger boy.

"I'm going to do some investigation into Sengoku Ryoma and his cohorts," Kaito stated, "I'll forward the information to you when I can. Share it with the others if you must, but don't tell them where you got it." Micchy stared at the older boy for a moment.

"Why are you doing this, Kaito-san? I didn't think like you liked Kouta-san or me," Micchy asked. Kaito looked back with a smirk before replying.

"Who knows?" Micchy shook his head with a smile.

"Good luck, Kaito-san." The brunet boy just smirked before leaving the park.

* * *

"It seems that all the pieces are moving around," DJ Sagara said to himself, watching Kaito and Micchy talk from afar. He vanished, reappearing in Helheim. He looked at a golden apple. 

"This is getting interesting," he murmured. His eyes widened as he heard a voice coming from the apple.

"I-Impossible!" 

* * *

Kaito was once again in Sengoku Ryoma's office. The scientist held out a picture, which Kaito snatched from the older man's hand.

"The first thing I want you to do is investigate this picture. I can give you directions to the location," Ryoma stated. Kaito looked at the picture. It showed a blurry dark red figure in some ruins.

"What is this?" Kaito asked.

"We don't know," Ryoma replied, "But I believe it to be an intelligent Inves, which I have dubbed an Overlord." 

"Are they strong?" Kaito questioned. Ryoma smirked.

"That's what you need to find out."

* * *

Kaito had trekked out to the ruins that Ryoma had shown him, leaving packages as he came.

 _"I wonder if Junior managed to get Kazuraba to come,"_ he thought.

"Oi! Kaito!" came a shout.

 _"Right on cue,"_ Kaito thought, smirking. Kouta showed up a few minutes later.

"Hey! Kaito!" the orange wielder called, maneuvering to stand next to Kaito, "What's up with you lately?" Kaito snorted.

"OI!" They were interrupted by a dark red figure appearing a short ways away in the ruins. The creature spoke in a strange language.

"It can talk?" Kouta gasped. Kaito turned to face the strange Inves.

"That's no ordinary Inves," Kaito stated, "It's an Overlord, an Inves that managed to retain it's intelligence." Kouta gaped at Kaito. The Overlord brandished it's sword at them.

"How do you know that?" Kouta demanded. Kaito merely smirked. Kouta grumbled in frustration as both teens pulled out their Lockseeds.

"Henshin," the two teens declared.

[ORANGE]/[BANANA] 

They attached the Lockseeds to their belts.

[LOCK ON] 

With a flick of the wrist, they flipped the Cutting Knife.

[COME ON! ORANGE ARMS! TO THE SPOTLIGHT! ON STAGE!]

[COME ON! BANANA ARMS! KNIGHT OF SPEAR~!]

The two riders' armor formed and they charged at the creature.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed it. Sorry it took so long! I've just started college and got a new laptop.


	8. Revelations

"Truth only reveals itself when one gives up all preconceived notions." -Shoseki 

* * *

"I don't get it," Kouta complained as he and Kaito were getting fixed up.

"It's simple Kouta-san," Micchy replied from where he was bandaging up Kaito, "Kaito-san went undercover when Sengoku Ryoma offered him an alliance to see what they were up to. He told me so that he could relay the information to me. That's how I knew where the ruins were." 

"I get that part," Kouta replied, "What I don't get is why Kaito couldn't have told us what was going on."

"You're not a good enough actor," Kaito answered.

"What did you say?" Kouta yelled, jumping to his feet. Mai pushed him back down so she could finish bandaging his wounds.

"Calm down Kouta-san," Micchy replied, "Sengoku Ryoma needed to believe that Kaito-san was leaving the group. I'm good at acting, so he told me what was going on. If too many people were in on it, it wouldn't have looked realistic." 

"But his cover got blown anyways!" Kouta declared, throwing his arms upwards in exasperation.

"It would have worked if someone hadn't intervened," Kaito replied, staring at Micchy. The younger boy rolled his eyes.

"Well, excuse me for saving your life," Micchy retorted.

"I didn't need your help!" Kouta sighed.

Three Hours Earlier

_"Henshin," the two teens declared._

_[ORANGE]/[BANANA]_

_They attached the Lockseeds to their belts._

_[LOCK ON]_

_With a flick of the wrist, they flipped the Cutting Knife._

_[COME ON! ORANGE ARMS! TO THE SPOTLIGHT! ON STAGE!]_

_[COME ON! BANANA ARMS! KNIGHT OF SPEAR~!]_

_The two riders' armor formed and they charged at the creature._

The battle wasn't going well. The Overlord appeared to be beating them effortlessly. Gaim and Baron had switched to Pine and Mango Arms, but they still could not make a dent in the creature's armor like skin. Neither of them noticed Micchy and Ryoma coming to keep an eye on the fight. 

Micchy's mind was working overtime. The Overlord is incredibly strong and seems to shrug off most attacks. It can also control the Helheim plants.

Ryoma, meanwhile, was considering the possibilities. If I can create an alliance with them, maybe they can help me find the Golden Fruit.

In the fight, Baron and Gaim were barely able to stand when the Overlord suddenly doubled over clutching its head. The fighter and observers looked on in confusion as the Overlord babbled into thin air. The Overlord flashed away to an unknown location. Kouta and Kaito let their transformations fade.

"Alright Kaito, how did you know about that thing? Or this place for that matter!" Kouta demanded. Ryoma decided to reveal his presence.

"That would be me," the scientist replied, "What I'm curious about is how you got here."

"Micchy told me!" Kouta replied. Micchy face palmed in his hiding place.

"Oh, Mitsuzane-kun?" Ryoma wondered, "But how did he find out? It wasn't in the files that he hacked when you escaped from Yggdrasil earlier." Kouta's eyes widened. Ryoma noticed.

"I think I understand what happened now," Ryoma said. He pulled out his belt and a light blue Lockseed.

[LEMON ENERGY] 

"Henshin," Ryoma said with a smirk.

Ryoma clicked the Lockseed into place.

[LOCK ON]

He slid the handle-like lever.

[SODA! LEMON ENERGY ARMS! FIGHT! POWER! FIGHT! POWER! FIGHT! FIGHT! F-F-F-F-FIGHT!]

A large lemon came through the crack and formed the yellow and blue rider from the incident with Hase, known as Duke. Micchy's eyes widened from his hiding spot. Kouta and Kaito quickly reactivated their armor. Duke immediately launched a hail of energy arrows at the Beat Riders. The attack managed to knock them out of their transformation. Kaito rolled towards Micchy's hiding place, while Kouta was sent across the area. Duke approached Kaito.

"I don't take too kindly to traitors, Kaito-kun," Duke said, "You've been giving information to Mitsuzane-kun, haven't you?" Duke pulled back the string on his Sonic Arrow.

"I regret to inform you that our alliance must come to an end," Duke mock-pouted, "So sad." He was about to shoot the arrow when Micchy leapt out of his hiding spot and pushed Kaito out of the way. The attack nicked Micchy's arm, but did no serious damage. Kaito looked at Micchy, surprised. The younger boy pulled Kaito up and dragged him over to where Kouta was getting up.

"Let's go," Kouta said. The other two nodded. They walked away, keeping some of the ruins between themselves and Ryoma.

"My, my," Ryoma said, "Things have gotten interesting." 

Present

"I would say you did, considering that would have killed you!" Micchy protested.

"I didn't ask you to save me!" Kaito declared. Micchy just looked at Kaito.

"Why should you have to ask?" Micchy asked quietly. Kaito blinked. Kouta looked over at the sudden lack of volume. Kaito snorted before he ruffled Micchy's hair.

"Hey!" Kouta and Mai laughed while Kaito smirked and Micchy tried to fix his hair. Every time he fixed it, Kouta or Mai would mess it up again. Eventually. The younger boy gave up and started laughing along with them.

* * *

DJ Sagara watched the four teens interact. 

"Is this what the Golden Fruit meant?" he wondered. He remembered when the Golden Fruit had spoken.

"That's the first time anything like this has happened when I intervene," he said to himself. He vanished from his observation point, the inhabitants of the garage none the wiser to his presence.

* * *

"I'll need to find a way to defeat the Overlords," Ryoma said, re-watching the fight between Gaim, Baron, and the Overlord, "I could have the Beat Rider kids try to defeat them, but if they manage it, I'd still have to defeat them." Ryoma leaned back in his seat, pondering the dilemma.

* * *

 

Kureshima Takatora stared out the window of his office in Yggdrasil. His fist was clenched.

"Why Mitsuzane? Why do you lower yourself to the level of that street trash? You are a Kureshima! You have a duty to lead!" Takatora shook his head to clear his thoughts. 

"Soon, I'll bring you home, Mitsuzane." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed it! Constructive criticism is welcome!


	9. Appearance of the Overlords

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Armored Rider go looking for the Overlords and get more than they bargained for.

"Conflict avoidance often causes greater conflict." -Bryant H. McGill

* * *

"Okay, so we now know about the Overlords thanks to Kaito-san's efforts. They can control the Helheim plants, so if we reason with them, we may be able to get them to call the Helheim plants back from Earth," Micchy said, addressing the other Riders and some of the Beat Riders, "However, this is by no means certain, given that the first one we encountered seems to prefer fighting to discussion. They might not even know our language."

"How do you know there are other Overlords?" Rat asked, "There could just be the one."

"I don't know how many Overlords there are, but if we have to fight, it's better to estimate higher than lower," Micchy replied.

"So we need to try to talk to them," Kouta said.

"But it might not be that easy," Kaito stated, "We should be prepared for a fight." Kouta nodded reluctantly. Kouta, Kaito, Micchy, Oren, and Jonouchi made their way to the ruins where they'd first encountered the Overlord.

"It's better if we stick together," Micchy said. The others nodded or shrugged. They explored the ruins.

"What are you doing here?" a voice asked from behind them. The riders whirled around to see a green lizard-like creature with a halberd. "Who are you?"

"My name is Kazuraba Kouta. This is Kumon Kaito, Kureshima Mitsuzane, Oren Pierre Alfonso, and Jonouchi Hideyasu," Kouta introduced, gesturing to each of the riders, "We just want to talk."

"Oh? What about?" the Overlord asked.

"We know that you can control the Helheim plants, so we're asking you to remove the Helheim plants from Earth," Kouta replied. The Overlord laughed.

"I think not," the Overlord answered. "Why won't you?" Kouta demanded. The Overlord laughed, sending a shiver down the rider's spines. "I grow bored in this place," the Overlord replied, "Earth sounds like it will have far more interesting toys."

"Human lives aren't toys!" Kouta shouted.

"On the contrary, they are nothing more than toys for those who are stronger than them," the Overlord stated. The riders pulled out their Lockseeds.

[ORANGE]/[BUDOU]/[BANANA]/[DONGURI]/[DURIAN]

"Henshin!" the five riders declared in unison. They attached the Lockseeds.

[LOCK ON]

They flipped the Cutting Knives.

[COME ON! ORANGE ARMS! IN THE SPOTLIGHT! ON STAGE!]

[COME ON! BUDOU ARMS! DRAGON, FIRE, BANG, BANG, BANG!]

[COME ON! BANANA ARMS! KNIGHT OF SPEAR~!]

[COME ON! DONGURI ARMS! NEVER GIVE UP!]

[COME ON! DURIAN ARMS! MISTER DANGEROUS!]

They stood in their ready positions, watching the Overlord. The Overlord laughed. She waved the halberd, causing several Helheim vines to approach the five riders. Ryugen shot at the vines. Gridon whacked them away with his hammer. Gaim and Bravo slashed at the vines with their swords. Baron hacked at them with his spear. However, more kept coming. The Overlord observed their fight with the vines. She then warped near Ryugen. When Ryugen noticed her presence, he scrambled away shooting at her. The bullets' damage was negligible.

 _"Why is it always me?"_ the grape-themed rider thought as he continued shooting at the Overlord. The Overlord finally grew bored of letting Ryugen's shots connect and slashed at him with her halberd. Ryugen fell and rolled away.

"Micchy!" Gaim shouted as he rushed to place himself between the Overlord and the youngest rider. He helped Ryugen stand, making sure to keep his sword pointed at the Overlord. The other riders congregated around Gaim and Ryugen. Ryugen grabbed a different Lockseed and removed his Budou Lockseed.

[KIWI]

He attached the second Lockseed to his belt.

"You might want to back up," Gaim warned. The other riders took a couple steps back.

[LOCK ON]

Ryugen flipped the Cutting Knife.

[COME ON! KIWI ARMS! HAMMER WHEEL SEIYA HA!]

Ryugen changed into his secondary armor, arming himself with two large Frisbee-like weapons with bladed edges. They spread out, circling the Overlord. The Overlord laughed again.

"You're such fun toys," she said, "I wouldn't want to break you too soon." With that, the Overlord vanished. The riders undid their transformations. Kaito punched one of the walls. Micchy and Jonouchi heaved a sigh of relief. Kouta's fists were clenched. Oren stared at the space the Overlord had vanished from while he thought.

"I guess the Overlords are our enemies," Kouta said. Micchy nodded.

"It'd be best to regroup in our world," Oren stated. The others nodded. The riders had gathered at Gaim's garage. Thankfully, there were no major injuries that needed to be patched up.

"So, the Overlords won't help us," Micchy thought out loud.

"We'll need to figure out another way to stop the Helheim invasion," Kouta said. Micchy nodded.

"Not to mention, we still need to figure out how to use these," Kaito added, holding up the attachment and light blue Lockseeds.

"Wait a minute, these are Energy Lockseeds," Micchy said, "They're supposed to only work with the Genesis Drivers. I'm guessing that mean that the attachment is the only way we can use them." He looked at his belt. "It obviously wouldn't go over the Cutting Knife and we already tried attaching it to the center space. That means…" Micchy grinned as he fiddled with the Rider Indicator, sliding it off of his belt and replacing it with the attachment given to them by DJ Sagara. He held the belt up triumphantly. Kouta and Kaito quickly copied Micchy's actions. They attached the belts.

[ORANGE]/[BUDOU]/[BANANA]

[LEMON ENERGY]/[PEACH ENERGY]/[CHERRY ENERGY]

They flipped the Cutting Knives, which split both Lockseeds.

[COME ON! MIX! LEMON RAIMENT!]/[COME ON! MIX! PEACH RAIMENT!]/[COME ON! MIX! CHERRY RAIMENT!]

Each rider retained their helmet shape and Ride Wear, but now they had heavier armor. Kouta's resembled that of a samurai. Micchy's was a lighter version of Kouta's, presumably due to the difference in physical strength. Kaito's armor was about the same as Kouta's. The main difference in the armors was the coloring. Kouta's was yellow with black accents, Micchy's was pink, and Kaito's armor was red. They could practically see Kaito smirking.

"Wicked," Kouta said, looking at his armor. Micchy grinned inside his helmet.

"Next time we come across an Overlord, we'll have to try these things out," Micchy stated, "Or the next time we have to deal with Yggdrasil." Micchy curled one hand into a fist. Kouta nodded, noticing Micchy's sudden tenseness. They released their transformations and replaced the Rider Indicators.

"We'll make your brother see sense," Kouta whispered to Micchy as they left for Kouta's apartment. Micchy no longer protested, since it didn't matter, since Kouta dragged him there anyways. Plus, he was getting quite attached to Kouta's older sister. The two teens were lying down in Kouta's room. Micchy was on the floor while Kouta was on the bed. Kouta was awake, thinking about earlier. He remembered Micchy clenching his fist when thinking about fighting Yggdrasil. He looked over when he heard Micchy talking in his sleep.

"Stop it…Nii-san…Stop," Micchy mumbled as he tossed and turned. Kouta got out of bed and sat next to Micchy. The older boy started smoothing Micchy's hair, which seemed to comfort the younger boy. The boy continued talking in his sleep. "Thank you, Kouta-niisan."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the update! I know it's been a while. Sorry!


	10. Invasion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Riders have their first battle against Demushu in their world and alliances are formed.

"If any honor existed in war, it was in fighting to protect others from harm." -Christopher Paolini

* * *

The green Overlord knelt before a human-like being that was primarily light blue.

"Ah, Redyue, why are you here?" the light blue Overlord asked. The green Overlord, Redyue, stood.

"The time has come to hasten the human's demise," Redyue stated, "Their planet will be overrun by the forest soon enough." The light blue Overlord merely nodded. Redyue bowed and left.

"Demushu," the green Overlord called. The red Overlord appeared in front of the green one.

"What is it, Redyue?" Demushu asked.

"It is time to lead an attack on the human world," Redyue said. Demushu would've smiled if he could.

* * *

Micchy was once again looking over the information he'd gathered on the Overlords. He pursed his lips.

"What's wrong, Micchy?" Kouta asked. Micchy looked up from his papers.

"I've been looking at the information I have on the Overlords," Micchy replied with a sigh, "But I don't have nearly enough." Kouta looked over the information. There were tons of scribbles and notes connecting various pieces of information as well as inferred information.

"It's still a lot more than we had," Kouta answered with a grin, "It'll be fine." He put his hand on Micchy's head. Micchy looked up in surprise before smiling. He nodded.

* * *

A crack had opened between Helheim and Earth. Demushu was ready with a small army of Inves. They swarmed through the crack as soon as it opened.

* * *

Micchy's tablet suddenly started beeping. He picked it up and paled when he saw the content.

"What's wrong?" Kouta asked urgently.

"A crack opened and that red Overlord is here with an army of Inves," Micchy replied, dropping his tablet as he dashed for the door.

"What's going on?" Kazuraba Akira asked as Kouta ran to the door.

"Something Micchy and I gotta take care of," Kouta called back, "We'll be back soon Nee-san!" Kouta followed Micchy out the door, calling Kaito, Oren, and Jonouchi as they headed toward the crack.

* * *

The riders arrived at the crack, easily spotting Demushu amongst the Inves.

[ORANGE]/[BANANA]/[BUDOU]/[DONGURI]/[DURIAN]

"Henshin!"

[LOCK ON]

They each flipped the Cutting Knife.

[COME ON! ORANGE ARMS! IN THE SPOTLIGHT! ON STAGE!]

[COME ON! BANANA ARMS! KNIGHT OF SPEAR~!]

[COME ON! BUDOU ARMS! DRAGON, FIRE, BANG, BANG, BANG!]

[COME ON! DONGURI ARMS! NEVER GIVE UP!]

[COME ON! DURIAN ARMS! MISTER DANGEROUS!]

Each of their armors formed and Kouta, Kaito, and Micchy grabbed their Energy Lockseeds and placed their Genesis Cores.

[LEMON ENERGY]/[CHERRY ENERGY]/[PEACH ENERGY]

The three riders flipped the Cutting Knives again.

[COME ON! MIX! LEMON RAIMENT!]/[COME ON! MIX! CHERRY RAIMENT!]/[COME ON! MIX! PEACH RAIMENT!]

The riders immediately charged in, trying to defeat as many Inves as they could. The regular Inves didn't stand a chance. Soon, it was just them and Demushu. Demushu snarled and leapt toward them. Kouta caught the attack, letting the other get a couple hits in. Kaito and Micchy’s attacks caused Demushu to stumble. The battle was even for a while before it started to turn in the favor of the riders.

Soon, Demushu was forced to retreat back to Helheim Forest.

* * *

“So that’s what happened to my missing items,” Ryoma mused, “But how did they get them?”

* * *

The riders released their transformation. Micchy gave a sigh of relief.

“Those new forms are pretty powerful,” Kouta mused. Kaito smirked and nodded. Oren grinned.

“You know what that means!” Micchy and Kouta slumped, while Kaito didn’t react outwardly. Kouta turned to look at Micchy.

“We’d better go find Nee-chan,” he said, “She’s probably worried about us.” Micchy nodded and with a wave, the two riders left. The other riders dispersed.

* * *

“Let’s see,” Ryoma mused, flipping through the files of his collegues that he had on his computer.

“Minato-kun wouldn’t have done it, she’s too loyal,” Ryoma contemplated, “It would be detrimental to Sid for the Beat Riders to get stronger. Takatora doesn’t even want Mitsuzane-kun involved, much less powered up. That leaves…” Ryoma trailed off, staring at the file for DJ Sagara.

“It must be him,” Ryoma muttered, “But why?”

* * *

DJ Sagara, meanwhile, was thinking over what he’d heard from the Golden Fruit.

“Why did it speak?” he asked himself, “It’s never spoken before. What’s so different about this world?”

* * *

Kouta and Micchy were making their way back to Kouta’s apartment when Kouta noticed how quiet Micchy was.

“Is everything okay, Micchy?” Kouta asked. Micchy started slightly before looking at Kouta.

“Yeah, everything’s fine,” Micchy replied, putting on a smile to reassure Kouta. While he wasn’t convinced, Kouta dropped the subject.

* * *

“What news do you have, Demushu?” Redyue asked. Demushu replied in their native tongue, having refused to speak the language of humans.

“So the humans have a new power,” the green Overlord mused. Roshuo was not present.

“They prove to be most interesting toys,” Redyue continued. She smirked, or would’ve if she’d been human. “Most interesting indeed.”

* * *

Kouta pulled Micchy into the living room area once they returned to the Kazuraba residence. Micchy looked confused at Kouta’s actions.

“I know something’s bothering you,” Kouta said, “You should get it off your chest.” Micchy chuckled humorlessly.

“I can’t get anything past you, can I Kouta-san?” the younger teen asked rhetorically. Kouta stared at the younger. Micchy avoided looking at Kouta as he spoke.

“This place feels more like home than the house I grew up in,” Micchy started, “That house was so cold. But it wasn’t always like that. When I was little, Nii-san and I were really close. Then he went away for college and to start working at Yggdrasil. He was rarely home and usually kept himself shut up in his room. Even when we were together, he was different. He was more distant. He was more focused on the family business than on family. I was just remembering what it was like before he changed.” Kouta sat next to Micchy and pulled the younger boy into a hug.

“Don’t worry, Micchy,” Kouta said, “We’ll get through to your brother. And now you have an even bigger family.” Micchy smiled and hugged the older teen back.

“Thank you, Kouta-niisan,” he said quietly, unaware that Kouta had heard him and smiled.

* * *

“So, you’re Redyue? Charmed,” Ryoma said. Redyue stood in his office, looking at the technology that humans had developed.

“You propose an alliance between your faction and myself?” Redyue questioned, her attention returning to the lounging man. Ryoma grinned.

“Exactly,” he replied, “I can provide you with information on each of the Riders and you can do what you wish to them. Redyue considered the human’s idea.

“Very well,” Redyue replied, “At least for the time being, we’re allies.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it! Constructive criticism is welcome!


	11. Resolve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Miccy and Takatora meet once again, but this time Kouta comes to watch. Also, DJ Sagara meets with the other Yggdrasil Riders regarding the Golden Fruit.

“Resolve to never quit, never give up, to matter what the situation.” -Jack Nicklaus

* * *

During another Rider meeting, Micchy’s phone vibrated, indicating that he had a call. The teen stepped out to take it.

 _“Mitsuzane,”_ a voice said before he could say a word. Micchy’s eyes widened.

“Nii-san,” Micchy said, “Why are you calling me?”

 _“I’m going to finally put an end to your rebellious stage. Meet me at Kajitsu Park at nine tonight.”_ Then Takatora hung up. Micchy brought the phone away from his ear and tightened his grip on it. He returned to the meeting, waving the call off as concerned school friends. Kaito narrowed his eyes at the younger boy but said nothing.

* * *

The day passed quickly. At quarter ‘til nine, Micchy snuck out of the Kazuraba apartment and went to Kajitsu Park. It was a park that Micchy and Takatora had frequented as children. Takatora was already there.

“Mitsuzane,” Takatora said, his voice neutral.

“Nii-san,” Micchy replied, his voice equally neutral.

“Why must you be so stubborn?” Takatora asked, “You are a Kureshima. You must act like one.” Micchy looked at the ground.

“I want to be able to choose my own destiny Nii-san,” Micchy replied, looking up at his older brother.

“You would choose those Beat Rider trash over your own family?” Takatora questioned. Micchy squared his shoulders.

“Kouta-san and the others aren’t trash! When we were younger, you never would have called them that!” Micchy replied angrily.

“What?” Takatora asked, thrown by Micchy’s reference to their childhood. Micchy looked at the ground again, his burst of anger now gone.

“You weren’t like this when we were children,” Micchy said. Takatora scoffed.

“I grew up,” Takatora replied scathingly, “You need to do the same.” Micchy’s hands clenched into a fist.

“At least I’m not giving up! At least I’m trying to find a way to save everyone!” Micchy shouted. Takatora frowned. His brother was more corrupted than he thought.

“I guess there’s only one way we can settle this,” Takatora said, pulling out his Genesis Driver. Micchy pulled out his Sengoku Driver, Genesis Core still attached. Takatora looked at the Driver in slight confusion before shrugging it off. They pulled out their Lockseeds, Takatora one and Micchy two. 

[BUDOU/PEACH ENERGY]/[MELON ENERGY]

“Henshin!” the two brothers declared in unison. 

[COME ON! BUDOU ARMS! DRAGON, FIRE, BANG, BANG, BANG! COME ON! MIX! PEACH RAIMENT! HA-HA!]/[SODA! MELON ENERGY ARMS!]

Their respective armors formed. Takatora looked on in surprise at Micchy’s change.

“Where did you get an Energy Lockseed?” Takatora ground out.

“Why does it matter where I got it?” Micchy asked. With that, the two brothers charged. After exchanging several blows, where Micchy was able to hold his own against his brother.

“Why, Mitsuzane? Why do you turn your back on your responsibilities?” Takatora shouted as they continued to exchange blows.

“I want to follow my own path Nii-san,” Micchy replied, “I will find a way to save everyone!”

“You’re being naïve! We can’t save everyone!” Takatora retorted. Micchy looked at his brother…and closed his Lockseeds. Takatora did the same, staring Micchy.

“You’ve changed Nii-san,” Micchy said quietly, Takatora barely able to hear, “I can barely recognize you anymore.” Micchy turned and left. Takatora’s fists were clenched tightly.

From behind a tree, where he’d stayed to keep an eye in Micchy, Kouta watched Takatora for a long moment, as if to make sure that he didn’t try to strike his brother when his back was turned. Once Micchy was out of sight, Kouta came out from behind the tree he’d been hiding behind and walked up to Takatora.

“What do you want?” the elder Kureshima asked. Kouta studied him for a moment.

“Having to fight you…it’s tearing Micchy apart. It’s hurting him because you’re his brother and he loves you. What’s so bad about the way we’re trying to do things?” Takatora scoffed.

“Your way will lead to everyone being wiped out.” Kouta frowned.

“And how do you know that?” he asked.

“You think we haven’t considered every possibility?” Takatora replied, “We’ve had the top scientists in every field working on a way to stop the Helheim Forest. The plan that’s most likely to succeed is Project Ark.” Kouta sighed.

“We have ten years, right? So, use those ten years to find a better solution. Look, I don’t care about your reasons or your plans. I care about the fact that Micchy is hurting because he has to fight you,” Kouta said. With that he turned and went after Micchy.

* * *

“You wanted to meet with me?” DJ Sagara asked, entering Ryoma’s office. Yoko and Sid were also in attendance.

“Yes,” Ryoma said with a smirk, “I’ll get straight to the point.” Ryoma played a clip of the Beat Rider’s fight against the Overlord, specifically when they used the Genesis Cores.

“How did the Beat Riders get their hands on Energy Lockseeds and Genesis Cores?” Ryoma questioned.

“Just trying to even the playing the playing field,” Sagara replied with a wide grin, “It’s not interesting if everything is so one-sided.”

“You’re familiar with the Golden Fruit, aren’t you?” Ryoma questioned.

“You could say that,” Sagara replied, “I’m just in it to see who the Helheim Forest chooses.” The three Riders exchanged glances. When they looked back, Sagara was gone.

* * *

It was late when Kouta woke suddenly for no apparent reason. He looked over at Micchy. The younger boy was sound asleep. Kouta got up, careful not to make much noise-Micchy was a light sleeper-and made his way to the living room.

Once there, he came face to face with DJ Sagara.

“What are you doing here?” Kouta asked, his voice hushed to avoid waking Micchy. Sagara wandered in the direction of the kitchen as he spoke.

“How good is your resolve?” the DJ asked, ignoring Kouta’s question. Kouta looked confused.

“I will find a way to save everyone,” Kouta replied, “Count on it.” DJ Sagara started laughing. Kouta glanced over his shoulder to make sure Micchy hadn’t wandered in.

“What’s so funny?” he hissed.

“How interesting,” Sagara said. He picked up and orange from the kitchen and played with it.

“Are you sure? More intelligent minds than yours couldn’t figure out a better way,” Sagara pointed out. Kouta’s hands clenched into fists as he looked away. His gaze landed on the door to his room, where Micchy was sleeping. A small smile crept across his face.

“Maybe if it was just me, you’d have a point,” Kouta replied, “But I’m not alone. Micchy’s the smartest person I know. Kaito’s so strong. Oren-san has all his military training. Jonouchi trains hard. Together, we’ll find a way to stop the Helheim Forest.” Unseen by Kouta, the orange in Sagara’s hands changed into a Lockseed. Sagara smiled mysteriously before tossing Kouta the newly-created Lockseed.

“Eh? What-“ Kouta looked up from the Lockseed to see that Sagara had vanished. Kouta stared at the mysterious Lockseed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed it! Constructive criticism is welcome!


	12. Jonouchi's Determination

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jonouchi finds out what happened to Hase, and figures out what to do from there. Kaito has a chance to think over the past few months.

“The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person’s determination” -Unknown

 

“Hey, have any of you seen Hase-chan since the Christmas event?”

Micchy, Kouta, and Kaito looked up from their individual projects. Jonouchi was the one who had spoken.

“I’ve been so distracted by the Rider stuff that I just realized I haven’t seen Hase-chan since then,” he continued. Micchy shook his head and Kaito went back to what he’d been doing. Kouta hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“I saw him a while ago,” Kouta said, “He…ate a Helheim fruit.” Jonouchi paled. They all knew what happened to those who ate the Helheim fruit.

"He turned into an Inves and was defeated by one of the Yggdrasil Riders.”

“So, the Inves you mentioned when you talked about them was Hase-chan?” Jonouchi asked. Kouta gave a slow nod. Jonouchi’s mouth opened and closed a couple times before he left. Kouta grimaced.

* * *

Oren was leaving a grocery store, where he got most of his supplies, when he saw Jonouchi sitting forlornly on a bench. The teen appeared to be watching the people walking by but his mind was a million miles away. Oren cocked his head, slightly confused with the normally grounded teen’s behavior. Looking at his groceries, he sighed before walking over the brunet teen. 

“What is the matter?”

Jonouchi started when Oren spoke.

“Nothing,” he muttered, not looking at Oren. Oren felt like rolling his eyes. As if he couldn’t tell something was bothering the teen.

“Something’s the matter, otherwise you would not be acting like this,” Oren replied. Jonouchi frowned. Oren sighed again.

“It is better to talk about these things,” he said. Jonouchi hesitated. Then the words came tumbling out.

“It was supposed to be a game,” he said bitterly, “A way for dance groups to determine turf and stuff like that.” Jonouchi thought back to different Inves battles, both defending his stage and trying to gain another stage.

“When they started distributing the belts, it was just another level to conquer. Just another way to fight over turf. Even now, when we’re fighting against Yggdrasil and the Overlords, it still felt like a game. One that we were winning. But Hase-chan…he ate a Helheim fruit. He was just playing the game we’d thought it was. His Driver was broken during the Christmas event and he couldn’t cope with losing his power when he knew that Inves were out there. So, he ended up turning into an Inves and was killed by one of the Yggdrasil Riders. It was just supposed to be a game. And it got Hase-chan killed.” Oren remained silent for a moment, deciding what to say.

“So, what will you do now?” Oren asked. Jonouchi looked at the Frenchman.

“What do you mean?” he muttered.

“Will you run away and make his death meaningless or will you fight to keep it from being in vain? If Yggdrasil wins, most of the world’s population will become Inves, just like Hase. Most of them will probably fall to the Riders, just like Hase. Will you fight to prevent that from happening or run away and wallow in sadness?” Jonouchi’s eyes hardened.

“I’m going to make sure no one dies like Hase-chan,” he declared. Oren nodded. Jonouchi turned to the older man.

"Can you give me extra training, Oren-san? Please?”

"I would be happy too,” Oren replied, “We’d best start now.”

* * *

Micchy and Kouta saw Oren and Jonouchi working out.

“Looks like Jonouchi’s okay,” Kouta said, obviously relieved.

“Yeah,” Micchy added, “He seems even more determined now.”

* * *

Jonouchi was running on a treadmill. He’d been at it for several minutes already and his energy was starting to flag. However, he stubbornly kept running. 

Oren switched him to chin-ups. He could do a couple before it felt impossible, but he stubbornly kept at it.

The pattern continued like that for a while. Jonouchi would start a new exercise, start flagging, and power through. Oren grinned at his pupil.

* * *

Kaito had time to think after Kouta and Micchy went to check on Jonouchi. The stoic Beat Rider thought over the past few months. He’d been working with the others, something he would normally never do.

Kaito admitted that he only cared about strength. He knew he was often overly harsh.

But in the past few months, after spending so much time with the other Beat Riders, they were growing on him.

Kazuraba was pretty strong, and he was able to inspire others and be inspired by them. Kaito knew Kazuraba was doing what he could to help his sister, yet the other teen still made time for his friends and their mission.

Junior had seemed weak at the beginning, but he had some steel beneath his smiles. Then again, he would’ve had to, to have defied his family to join the Beat Riders and then run away from home.

Oren had military experience on his side, and he was willing to train them. Even running his restaurant, he still found the time to train them for hours on end.

Jonouchi used to be a tactician, leaving most of the fighting to Hase or Inves. But he was actually quite strong. Even the absence of Hase hadn’t brought him down until it had been revealed what happened to him.

Even Mai, who usually helped bandage them up after their fights, had her own form of strength. She watched them leave, knowing they could come back hurt, and still let them do it.

Honestly, Kaito knew he was different than before. He had noticed he wasn’t as harsh as he used to be. The only time that he acted as he used to was when he’d been…well…acting.

Truthfully, that was the point when he’d really noticed the changes. Junior had helped him and when Kaito told him he hadn’t asked for help, he’d asked why Kaito should need to. Kaito had sort of frozen after that-not that he would admit it. It had never occurred to him that he shouldn’t need to ask for help from his…friends. Instead of talking more, he’d distracted the younger teen by messing with his hair-something he would never have done before all this Rider stuff.

Yeah, Kaito noticed the changes. But he couldn’t bring himself to stop it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked the chapter! Constructive criticism is welcome!


	13. Second Thoughts and Betrayal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takatora starts to wonder if his brother is right and Ryoma takes things into his own hands.

"The saddest thing about betrayal is that it never comes from your enemies." -Unknown

* * *

Takatora stood staring out the window at Zawame City. Memories from the past few months flashed through his mind.

" _It wouldn't be right to only save one-seventh of the Earth's population."_

 _"_ _I will find a way to save everyone!"_

_"You've changed Nii-san. I can barely recognize you anymore."_

" _Having to fight you, it's tearing Micchy apart. It's hurting him because you're his brother and he loves you. What's wrong with doing it our way?"_

Takatora started pacing. Why was his younger brother so insistent on remaining with the Beat Riders?

 _Because you're not the same older brother he remembers_ a traitorous part of his mind said. He sat at his desk and leaned his forehead against his folded hands.

"What if they're right?"

* * *

Ryoma peeked into Takatora's office. He witnessed the other's moment of doubt. He frowned briefly. His normal smile returned and he knocked.

"Come in," Takatora said. Ryoma walked in, holding the latest findings in their research.

"Just came to deliver the new info," he replied. Ryoma set the papers down and looked at Takatora.

"Not having any doubts, are we? Project Ark is the best chance we have to save what we can of humanity," Ryoma assured. Takatora hesitated before nodding. Ryoma noticed the hesitation.

"Come on, Takatora," Ryoma said, "You're not getting soft, are you? This is what we need to do."

"I'm well aware of that, Ryoma," the stern man replied stiffly.

"Are you?" the scientist asked. Takatora sighed.

"Mitsuzane and his friends still haven't given up on saving everyone," Takatora said, "I can't help but wonder if they might be right." Ryoma raised an eyebrow.

"It's not like you to doubt yourself, Takatora," he stated.

"Mitsuzane never does anything without a reason," Takatora replied, turning back to look out the window, "and his friends have given him a reason to figure out how to stop Helheim." Ryoma frowned, unseen by the elder Kureshima.

"Mitsuzane-kun is being a bit of a nuisance, isn't he?" Ryoma mused, "He's starting to get in the way." Despite how quietly Ryoma had spoken, Takatora whirled around to stare angrily at the scientist.

"What do you mean by that?" Takatora spat.

"Mitsuzane-kun is quite distracting," Ryoma replied, "Because you're so focused on him, you're missing out on your potential! You could rule this world!" Takatora looked disgusted.

"That point isn't to rule the world! It's to save humanity!" he declared.

"But humanity will need a leader once Helheim has invaded," Ryoma answered, "You could be that leader!"

"No," Takatora replied, "That is not my place." Ryoma's face twisted angrily.

"It seems that you've been tainted," Ryoma replied, "You're not the man you used to be."

" _You've changed Nii-san. I can barely recognize you anymore."_

Takatora shook off the flash of memory. Ryoma turned and left, leaving Takatora uneasy.

* * *

"Hey, Micchy, Nee-chan and I have work, but we need some things for dinner. Can you get them for us?" Kouta asked, holding out the list.

"Of course, Kouta-san," the younger boy replied, grabbing the list. He helped out when he could, as thanks for letting him stay with them. Kouta grinned and left. Micchy headed out to get the groceries.

The first time Kouta had taken Micchy grocery shopping with him had been interesting. It had been Micchy's first time in a grocery store, and he'd reminded Kouta of a kid in a candy shop.

But by now, Micchy was used to grocery shopping and was perfectly capable of doing it on his own. It didn't take too long to find the items on the list, or to go through the checkout. As he was heading back to the apartment, he was forced to stop when a man in a lab coat stepped in his way.

"Wait, aren't you...?" Micchy asked warily.

"Yes, I'm one of your brother's coworker, Mitsuzane-kun," the man replied, "And you're in the way." He pulled out a Genesis Driver and Energy Lockseed. Micchy started to back away, pulling out his Sengoku Driver and Lockseeds. They both attached their belts and activated their Lockseeds.

[BUDOU/PEACH ENERGY]/[LEMON ENERGY]

"Henshin!" Micchy declared.

"Henshin," Ryoma stated.

[COME ON! BUDOU ARMS! DRAGON, FIRE, BANG, BANG, BANG! COME ON! MIX! PEACH RAIMENT! HA-HA!] 

[SODA! LEMON ENERGY ARMS! FIGHT, POWER! FIGHT, POWER! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FI-FI-FI-FI-FIGHT!] 

Duke immediately starts shooting at Ryugen, who dodges the arrows. Ryugen shot back and for a while, they shot back and forth at each other. Eventually, Duke grew tired of them shooting at each other and ran towards Ryugen. Ryugen blocked and tried striking back. duke easily dodged, landing several blows on Ryugen.Â  The purple and green rider stumbled back. Duke pursued him relentlessly. Ryugen was able to land a few blows.

"You really are a nuisance, aren't you?" Duke asked. Ryugen shot several arrows at him. A few made it through Duke's defenses. Duke came in close, landing more blows. After one particularly savage hit, Micchy was forced out of his transformation. The battered teen pushed himself back up. Duke kicked Micchy in the chest, sending him rolling backwards. Micchy scrambled backwards as Duke came forward again.

"Ryoma!" a masculine voice came from Micchy's right. Takatora ran over, helping Micchy stand.

"What are you doing?" Takatora asked incredulously.

"Getting rid of a nuisance," Duke replied. Takatora stood and put on his Genesis Driver. He held up his Energy Lockseed.

[MELON ENERGY ARMS!]

He attached it to his Driver.

"Henshin."

[SODA! MELON ENERGY ARMS!]

Takatora's upgraded armor formed.

"Get out of here, Mitsuzane," Takatora said to the beat-up boy behind him. Micchy nodded and started walking away as fast as he could. Duke attempted to shoot at the teen's unprotected back, only for Zangetsu-Shin to block the arrows with his bow.

"What possessed you to go after Mitsuzane?" Takatora asked as they started slashing at each other with their bows.

He's holding you back!" Ryoma replied, "If you didn't spend so much time worrying about Mitsuzane-kun, you could be the ultimate being!"

"What do you mean by that?" Takatora demanded. Their fight took them to a ledge, where there were no people.

"Have you ever heard of the Golden Fruit?" Ryoma asked, "Whoever eats it can remake the world as they see fit!"

"They could get rid of Helheim!" Takatora realized.

"They could," Ryoma stated, "I intend to get the Golden Fruit, and I will remake this world. I wish you could have been at the head of it, but you aren't the man I admired anymore. Good bye, Takatora!" With one last punishing blow, Ryoma forced Takatora out of his transformation and over the edge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hop you enjoyed the chapter! Constructive criticism is welcome!


	14. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sengoku Ryoma delivers the news to Micchy and Kaito makes a discovery.

“Grief is love’s unwillingness to let go.” -Unknown 

* * *

Micchy suddenly sat upright, startling Mai, who had been sitting near the teen.

“Micchy!” she said, “What happened? I found you collapsed outside the garage when I got here!” Micchy thought back to the events a few hours prior.

“Kouta-san asked me to do some grocery shopping for him and I ran into one of Nii-san’s coworkers…” Micchy trailed off, trying to gather his thoughts, “He said I was in the way and we fought. He was really powerful. He knocked me out of my transformation. Then…Nii-san came. He told me to get away and he fought.” Micchy looked down. Mai put a hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t worry Micchy,” she assured him, “Your brother is strong. He’ll be fine.” Micchy just nodded.

* * *

“Micchy! Are you okay?” Kouta burst into the garage, calling frantically.

“I’m fine, Kouta-san,” Micchy replied.

“His ribs are bruised and he has several other bruises,” Mai corrected, giving Micchy a stern look, “So no fighting until your _fully_ healed.” Micchy nodded.

Mai was _scary_ when one of them was seriously injured.

“What happened?” Kouta asked. Micchy repeated what he’d told Mai. Kouta put a hand on Micchy’s shoulder.

“Your brother will be fine,” Kouta assured the teen, “Now, we need to warn the others about Ryoma.” A few calls had Kaito, Oren, and Jonouchi informed of the situation with Sengoku Ryoma. After the calls were done, Kouta checked the time.

“We should be heading back,” Kouta said, “Does Micchy have a clean bill of health to go back to the apartment?” Mai nodded. She looked at Micchy.

“Remember, _no_ fighting,” she told him. Micchy nodded and stood, wincing slightly as his ribs protested when he tried to stretch out the kinks. Mai’s eyes narrowed and the two Riders quickly left before Mai changed her mind.

* * *

“Are you sure you’re okay, Micchy?” Kouta asked as they walked back to the apartment.

“I’m fine, Kouta-san,” Micchy replied. Kouta just stared for a few moments. Once upon a time, he would’ve had no idea if Micchy was lying. Now, he knew a few of Micchy’s tells. Micchy sighed.

“I’m worried about Nii-san,” Micchy admitted, “I can fight him on even terms now, but Sengoku Ryoma beat me easily. I’m worried that Nii-san could’ve gotten hurt or worse.” Kouta slung an arm around Micchy’s shoulders.

“I’m sure he’s fine,” Kouta assured the younger boy, “He’s really strong.” Micchy smiled and the two continued back in comfortable silence.

* * *

Once they reached the apartment, Akira started fussing over Micchy.

“I’m fine, Akira-san,” Micchy kept telling her. She didn’t listen and kept fussing over him. Between Mai and Akira, Micchy was being smothered more than he’d ever been before. Once they all went to bed, Kouta took the chance to talk to Micchy about it.

“You seemed kind of overwhelmed being smothered by Mai and Nee-san,” Kouta said. Micchy chuckled.

“At home, it was pretty much just me and Nii-san,” Micchy explained, “Eventually, Nii-san grew busier with school and working at Yggdrasil. The staff was mostly to leave us alone unless specifically asked otherwise. I’m not used to being fussed over when I get hurt.”

“Good thing you’re with us then,” Kouta said. Micchy smiled and closed his eyes to sleep, Kouta following close behind.

* * *

Kouta and Micchy were heading for the garage. After the attack the previous day, Kouta had decided that Micchy would not be going out alone until Sengoku Ryoma had been dealt with. Especially since Mai had prohibited Micchy from fighting until he was fully healed.

And this turned out to be a good idea.

When Sengoku Ryoma stepped in front of them, Kouta was quick to put himself between his injured friend and the scientist.

“Oh, I’m not here to fight,” Ryoma assured him with a smirk, “Just to deliver some news.”

“Then say what you have to say and leave us alone!” Kouta retorted. Ryoma’s smirk grew wider. He looked at Micchy.

“Mitsuzane-kun, regarding your brother,” he said, “I’m afraid he’s no longer with us.” Micchy’s jaw dropped and his eyes widened.

“You’re lying!” he shouted, “Nii-san’s not gone!” Kouta’s eyes narrowed at Ryoma. The scientist merely smirked and walked away. Micchy sank to his knees, Kouta going down with him to make sure he didn’t hurt himself. Micchy stared forlornly at the ground.

“Micchy, we don’t know if he’s telling the truth,” Kouta tried, “He could be lying.”

“He wouldn’t lie about something like that,” Micchy replied, “It’d be too easy to find out what really happened. He’s cunning enough to know that I would be able to find my brother if he were alive.” Kouta hugged Micchy and helped the younger boy stand.

"Why don’t we go see Mai and the others,” Kouta suggested. Micchy nodded and they continued toward the garage.

* * *

_“WHAT! My beautiful melon is no more!”_ Oren cried over the phone. Kouta winced at the volume. He glanced over at Micchy, who was sitting off in a corner.

“Yeah,” Kouta replied quietly, “We were told by Sengoku Ryoma on our way here. I think it’s best to take it with a grain of salt.

_“That is wise,”_ Oren replied, _“I have to go now. Charmant is quite busy.”_

“Alright,” Kouta said, “See you later.” Kouta walked back over to Micchy.

“You ready to head back?” he asked. Micchy nodded and followed Kouta as they left.

* * *

Kaito was going home, through one of the worse parts of town. Sure, it might be a nicer city, but it still had its bad parts. Kaito continued and took a shortcut through a park.

About halfway through the park, the teen heard someone moaning in what sounded like pain. He hesitated for a moment. Then, muttering about Kouta and Micchy and their moral compass rubbing off on him, Kaito went to investigate the moaning. Upon seeing who was making the noise, Kaito froze.

_Well, shit._

Lying there on the ground was Kureshima Takatora, Micchy’s older brother and one of the main enemies of the Beat Riders.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the chapter! sorry it took so long to get it put up. Constructive criticism is welcome!


	15. A New Armor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Micchy and Kaito get new armor, while Kouta finally gets to test his.

“One reason people resist change is because they focus on what they have to give up, instead of what they have to gain.” -Rick Godwin

* * *

Kouta spent the next couple days staying close to Micchy. Between his injuries and the news of his brother’s death, Kouta didn’t think it was a good idea for Micchy to be alone.

One afternoon, while Micchy was still healing, an alert came on the younger boy’s laptop. Micchy was quick to check the notification.

“Kouta-san, I’ve picked up a reading for a crack. Can you go check it out?” he asked. Kouta nodded and checked the location on Micchy’s laptop before running off.

* * *

Kouta arrived and saw Demushu causing chaos with dozens of Inves. He grabbed the new Lockseed he’d received from DJ Sagara sometime prior.

“Now is as good a time as any,” he muttered and put on his belt. He activated his newest Lockseed.

[KACHIDOKI ARMS!]

He attached the Lockseed to his belt.

“Henshin!” he declared, flipping the Cutting Knife.

[COME ON! KACHIDOKI ARMS! IZA SHUTSUJIN! EI, EI, OH!]

The armor descended and appeared to be an upgraded form of his Orange Arms. Two banners flew from his back. He immediately leapt into the fray, striking down Inves effortlessly.

* * *

Micchy stared at the laptop blankly. It was the first chance he’d had to really be alone since Sengoku Ryoma had claimed his brother had died. He looked at his hands, then at his belt.

“Wondering what would have happened if you’d never become a Rider?” jested a masculine voice. Micchy spun in his chair to see DJ Sagara leaning against the wall.

“What are you doing here?” Micchy asked.

“Just checking in on one of my favorite Riders,” Sagara replied. Micchy looked back at his belt. He didn’t notice DJ Sagara starting to fiddle with a small bunch of grapes.

“Even if I hadn’t become a Rider, Nii-san probably still would have been attacked by Sengoku Ryoma eventually,” Micchy stated, “Nii-san wouldn’t let people die if he thought he had another choice.”

“Are you sure?” Sagara questioned. Micchy looked Sagara in the eye.

“Yes,” he answered. DJ Sagara held the younger boy’s gaze for a few long moments. When Micchy didn’t look away, Sagara started laughing and walked over to where Micchy’s belt rested. He placed the new Lockseed next to the belt. When Micchy looked back after glancing at the Lockseed, Sagara was gone. He picked up the Lockseed.

“Dragon?”

* * *

All he could feel was pain. It seemed like all his nerve endings were sending him pain signals. He blinked and waited for the world to come back into focus. Once he could see clearly, Kureshima Takatora tried to sit up. He wrapped one arm around his torso. He could feel the bandages covering his wounds.

“You shouldn’t try to sit up yet.”

Takatora looked up to see Kumon Kaito leaning against the wall, staring at him. Takatora’s mind flashed back to one of the times he’d met with Mitsuzane and Kaito had intervened because he “just doesn’t like Yggdrasil.”

“No one else knows you’re here,” Kaito continued, interrupting Takatora’s thoughts, “As a matter of fact, most of them believe you to be dead.”

“Why did you help me?” Takatora asked.

“Well, I didn’t do it for you,” Kaito replied, “Now, say here and rest.” Kaito left, closing the door behind him. Takatora carefully laid himself back down.

* * *

Kouta had finished off the Inves and moved onto Demushu. They clashed blades and Kouta soon learned that he could fight with the banners and that _they could set themselves on fire!_ Soon, Demushu was sent into a retreat. Kouta closed the Lockseed and detached his belt. He tossed it up before catching it and looking at it.

* * *

“Yo, Micchy!” Kouta called as he entered the garage, “Everything good here?” Micchy looked up from examining the Lockseed.

“Yeah,” he replied. Kouta came down and saw Micchy’s new Lockseed.

“You have one too?” he asked. Micchy briefly looked confused, until Kouta showed him his.

“Yeah, DJ Sagara was here a little while ago and gave me the Lockseed after we’d talked for a bit,” Micchy explained.

“He did the same thing with me, but that was quite a while ago,” Kouta admitted, “I didn’t even get a chance to test it until just now.”

“I wonder if Kaito-san will get one,” Micchy wondered. Kouta gave his younger friend a confused look.

“DJ Sagara seems interested in the three of us,” Micchy explained, “It wouldn’t surprise me if Kaito-san got one soon.”

* * *

Kaito returned to his small apartment. He closed the door and turned to see DJ Sagara lounging in the living room area.

“Cozy little place you have here,” Sagara commented.

“What are you doing here?” Kaito asked. He vaguely noted that DJ Sagara was fidgeting with a banana, of all things.

“Just checking in on one of my favorite Riders,” Sagara replied, “You’ve changed quite a bit in the past few months.”

“So what?” Kaito said, “It’s none of your business.”

“I find it fascinating what the threat of Helheim brings out in people,” Sagara stated.

“Wait,” Kaito asked, “You’ve seen this before?”

“Maybe I have, maybe I haven’t,” Sagara responded, “But this talk isn’t about me. It’s about you. Few have the resolve to do something if it’ll change them.” Kaito rolled his eyes.

“Then they must be weaklings if they’re so scared of changing.” Sagara laughed. Kaito didn’t notice Sagara transforming the banana into a new Lockseed. Sagara left the Lockseed on a table.

“Well, I’d best be off,” Sagara declared, “Things to do.” Kaito blinked and Sagara was gone. It was then that he noticed the new Lockseed. He picked it up and examined it.

“Phoenix?”

* * *

Takatora sat up, slightly easier than earlier. There was some food on the box that was acting as a bedside table, along with some pain meds. Takatora ate and took the pain meds. Not for the first time, he wondered why Kumon Kaito, of all people, was helping him. Kumon’s dislike of Yggdrasil, and everyone associated with them, was well known. Then again, Kumon seemed to get along with Mitsuzane well enough. Takatora smiled as he realized why Kumon was helping him.

_“Huh, who knew?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long. Hope you enjoyed it! Constructive criticism is welcome!

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write a story where Micchy was honest with Kouta, and here we are! I hope you enjoy the story.


End file.
